Improvement in straw-cutters



W. S. GIBSON.

STRAW-CUTTERS. No.188,791, Patented March 27,1877.

JNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

IMPROVEMENT IN STRAW-CUTTERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 188,791, dated March27, 1877; application filed February 10, 1877.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, WILLIAM S. GIBSON, ofOroppers Depot, in the county of Shelby and State of Kentucky, haveinvented certain newand useful Improvements in Straw-Outters and I dohereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact descriptionof the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to whichit pertains to make and use 7 it, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, which form part of this specificaits front end bya suitable upright frame,

B, and at the rear end by legs 0, as shown.

In the side pieces of the upright frame B are vertical grooves, in whicha gate or sash, D, moves up and down. In this gate or sash is fastenedthe cutting-knife G, made -in the form of an inverted V, and having itscutting-edges extending from the center angle downward and outwardto'its ends. This cutting-knife, during the'movement of the gate or.sash, passes down between two plates, wand 12, one in front and theother in rear of the knife.

The front plate b is secured on a crossbar in the frame B, and the rearplate ais fastened on the front end of a false bottom,

E, placed inlthe feed box A. Both these plates are set inclined, so asto slope from cutting-knife Gr outward and downward; in

other words, the edges of said plates nearest the movable knife areraised and sharpened, so that the feed will be out very easily withoutclogging, and the movable knife will act like shears.

The movable knife, being in the form of an inverted V, allows of themouth of the box being made much wider than in ordinary feed-cutters,and a much larger amount of feed can be cut at each stroke of theoperating-lever.

The false bottom E is fastened to the regular bottom of the feed-box bya screw, 01, passing through a slot, 0, in said false bottom, so thatthe plate a can be adjusted as close to the movable knife G as may berequired.

In the center, near the top of the gate or sash D, is pivoted theoperating-lever L, the smaller end of which is, by a pivoted bar, P,connected with the short end of a lever, B, and this lever is pivoted toa cross-bar in the lower part of the front frame B.

The long end of the lever B is, by another pivoted bar, P, connected tothe long end of the operating-lever L at a point sufficiently close tothe pivot of said operatinglever that the two connecting-bars P P willalways be parallel with each other, or, in other words, that thedistance between their upper ends shall be the same as that betweentheir lower ends.

By means of this compound leverage a far greater power may be, and is,exerted on the moving knife, and the arrangement of the levers aids thedownward stroke of the knife.

When the operator bears down on the lev er the shorter or fulcrum endthereof rises, and, by means of the connecting-bar P, raises the shortend of the lower lever B, so that the long end of said lower lever, bymeans of the connecting-bar P, will aid in pulling down theoperating-lever and the. gate with the moving knife.

This compound leverage may be used for other purposes as well as forfeed-cutters.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is-- l. In a feed-cutter, thecombination of a vertically-moving sash, D, carrying the knife G, platesa, b, one of which is attached to the bottom E, so as to be adjustedback and forth, and the levers L P P R, for operating the knife Gr,substantially as shown.

2. The false bottom E, provided with the sloping plate a, and adjustablysecured to the bottom of the feed-box A, for the purposes herein setforth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand this3d day of February, 1877.

WILLIAM SQGIBSON.

Witnesses:

R. M. SMITH, JOHN T. LOVE.

